"So you're admitting to it?" Oswald stood, still pointing.
"Yes. This is all a con," Tello said, leaning back in his chair, taking an even deeper breath. "This business opportunity that my partner and I created designed to reward our investors handsomely, is a complete scam."
"You've got quite the gall, saying that " Vince said, eyes narrowing slightly. "And what do you think happens if we call the guards right now?"
"On the grounds that I tried conning you out of a hefty sum?" Tello tapped his chin. "I suppose I'd be thrown in prison."
"You don't seem too concerned about that," Vince said.
"I'm not," Tello said, now lacing his fingers behind his head. "Because that would just mean we'd have to find a different batch of investors, ones willing to acquire shares in our company alongside Cillian."
"What are you talking about?"
"Cillian talked you all up," Tello said. "Told us not to waste time searching for backers ourselves. Said he had smart contacts, people who could recognize a good deal when they saw one. I guess he overestimated you."
Vince glanced at Oswald, whose expression had shifted from anger to uncertainty.
"So is this not a scam?!" Oswald bellowed.
"It's whatever you want to believe it is," Tello replied. "I came all the way from Rennes to build one of the greatest businesses this city will ever see. And you let a boy convince you it was fake."
Then, lower but still audible.
"What a bunch of spineless pushovers."
Across the table, Hara looked at Tello, then at Oswald, who in turn looked at Gallagher and Ralph.
Then at him.
"How are we even supposed to trust you?" Oswald snapped at the dark-haired man.
Hara laughed. Loudly.
"What's so funny?" Oswald barked.
"He's actually selling you all on a pipe dream," Hara muttered.
Tello didn't say a word. In this kind of verbal war, challenging Hara directly wasn't the right move, he'd only trip himself up. Instead, he turned his attention to the investors, opting to use the same trick Stephen had once used on him.
"There's no hard proof behind what he's saying," Vince muttered. "Sure, profits might be low for them but that doesn't mean they won't till make money. Unless there's something more concrete you know, I'll have to ask you to leave."
Tello gave a quiet nod. Vince was the boldest among the group, letting him play third imposter was the best possible play.
"You know just what to say, don't you?" Hara smiled, leaning in, eyes fixed on Tello.
He didn't. He was simply imitating someone else who did.
"I have no idea what you're going on about," Tello replied, keeping his tone even. Then, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Cillian spinning across the floor, hands locked with his wife.
Why was his son even here in the first place? Had Cillian brought him to sniff out the con? Or was it just coincidence?
Still, one idea came to mind. He couldn't say it directly, but he could pressure someone else into doing it for him.
"You came here with Cillian, right?" Tello asked, trying his best to keep his poker face on.
"That's right!" Oswald blurted, almost too quickly.
There it was.
"This is Cillian's attempt to sabotage us! He doesn't want us in on such a massive deal!"
Of course that wasn't true. And Ralph wasted no time pointing it out.
"If that were the case, he wouldn't have brought them here in the first place."
It didn't matter. Even if proven wrong, the damage was done, now all eyes were on Hara, watching his every move with a shadow of doubt.
"I'm guessing you don't have any hard evidence this is fabricated?" Vince asked again, more pointed now.
"Nothing blinds the rich like the promise of more fortune," Hara muttered, pushing his chair back and turning away. "Unfortunately, I don't have evidence to support my claim."
"Such a waste of time," Ralph added, folding his arms.
"You'll be regretting this." Hara whistled as he walked away.
"I'll be sure to tell Cillian about your insolent behavior." Oswald said with a frown.
"No need to go that far," Gallagher muttered, raising a hand. He signaled to two men standing at the far end of the room. Then turned back. "I'm sorry, umm..."
"Tello," Tello supplied.
"Tello," Gallagher repeated with a nod. "I'm sorry we doubted you, if only for a moment. Maybe he just wanted to confuse us. Hard to say."
"Neither could I. It was a bizarre thing that." Tello muttered, his eyes drifting to his side where two men walked over. In their hands were three leather bags, and which each step they took. The clank of metal echoed softly.
"How much did you say all of our shares cost again?"
"...Eighty thousand gold." Tello forced himself to say it.
"I see, it's a good deal to be honest." Gallagher flicked his finger forward and the men dropped two of the bags in front of him, by the side of the table.
"It definitely is." Tello said with a smile, though more uneasy than confident.
"I hope you understand, that on the event this brothel doesn't get made. We'll be tracking you down and murdering the both of you." Gallagher said, with a smile of his own.
"That would be fair." Tello responded, and only after did Gallagher push the bags toward him.
As the sound of gold coins rustled together in front of him, he wanted to scream but forced himself to hold steady. He'd actually done it. He'd closed the deal, and on his own.
"We'll be keeping in touch with you," Vince said. "Go get started on our Love Supreme killer."
"At once." Tello smiled, grabbing both bags into his arms. He nearly broke into a sprint toward the stairs but stopped himself, settling into a dignified stride instead.
He was definitely going to ask Stephen for a larger cut now, he'd clutched this all by himself. And as he reached the very top of the staircase, his loafers smacked the ground with glee.
Below him, on the dance floor. Heels slammed the tiles in perfect rhythm.
Lyna was outstretched to the side, her arm locked with Stephen's as they spun in circles. On the far side, Lucien moved the same way, perfectly in sync.
"You two know the same steps," Lyna murmured, never taking her eyes off Stephen.
"I studied at a dancehall a lot of nobles used to go to," Stephen replied smoothly. "It's not unlikely he went there too. Maybe we even shared a teacher." He tossed her out gracefully, then pulled her back in.
"Are you telling me the truth?"
"Why would I ever lie to you?" Stephen said, reeling her closer now, so close their breath mingled.
Lyna tried to pull back, just a little but couldn't. His grip was firm, holding her tightly. Their lips now only inches apart.
"You keep talking about this man you're chasing," Stephen whispered. "But what makes him so special?"
He leaned in, just slightly more. His voice dropped further.
"What makes him any better than me?"
Lyna tilted her head slightly, hiding her blush. "He's a prince. The prince of Eldoria, to be exact. I don't know much else, but we got word he's trying to open a rival brothel."
"Brothel?" Stephen raised a brow.
"Hm?" Lyna turned her head back, still swaying with him. "I guess you wouldn't know much about that. He's planning to challenge the Love Supreme brothel... and my mistress doesn't find that very amusing."
"So he's walked into trouble."
"A lot of it," Lyna said. "I was sent to kill him or rather, seduce him and push him toward suicide. But I guess I messed that up."
So that's what would've happened if the system hadn't pulled me out...
"I wouldn't call it a mistake," Stephen said, keeping his tone warm. Even if the truth shook him, acting under the pretense of being enchanted was the only safe move. "I got to meet you, and you got to meet me. I call that more fate than mistake."
The piano softened, melancholic now. Across the floor, Lucien and Silviette had paired up again, their movements slower, more deliberate.
"I, for one, am incredibly happy to have met you," Stephen continued. With one smooth motion, he reached for her chin, tilting it up gently, their eyes meeting now.
"You're only saying that because I seduced you," Lyna said, cheeks flushed. "If I hadn't, you wouldn't even look at me."
"I was infatuated the moment I saw you," Stephen whispered, closing the distance between them. "No drug can take credit for that."
[Adaptive Charisma +10]
Lyna's heart skipped. She told herself not to feel anything, that it had to be the remnants of the drug. But as their lips neared... the both of them about to share a warm kiss...
The piano swelled.
In perfect sync, Stephen spun her outward, and across the floor, Lucien did the same. The brothers stepped toward each other, hands meeting in a firm grip.
Lucien towered over him, gazing down with the cool poise of an older brother, and the ladies had done the same. The both of them now locked into dance.
It was the key transition in the royal dance routine. A gender neutral pairing, deliberately placed at the climax of the dance. Their instructors at the castle had drilled it into them: never miss the swap.
The audience erupted. Their applause ringing out like thunder. Gasps echoed through the hall, followed by squeals and even thuds, as a few women actually fainted at the sight of the two male noble's dancing together. Their fantasies going into overdrive.
"I'm definitely the twink in this situation, aren't I," Stephen muttered, noticeably shorter than his brother, who stood a commanding 6'4.
"You're a wanted man, you know that, right?" Lucien said. "One of the guards saw you entering a brothel earlier."
"Yep. Definitely the twink."
"Why did you leave?" Lucien asked, still dancing fluidly with him. "You had a good life. Why throw it away?"
"You know," Stephen shrugged, keeping his gaze low, "people want different things. And so on, and so forth."
He refused to look too closely at Lucien. They looked far too alike. It wouldn't take anyone more than a few minutes of eye contact to put two and two together.
"Mom cried for weeks," Lucien said quietly. "Her baby boy had vanished. She ordered a full-scale search across the kingdom."
Stephen flinched internally. He cared about his game mother far more than he liked to admit. He should've thought about how she'd feel when he left the palace without a word.
"Is that so?" Stephen said softly. "Tell her I think about her. Always."
"If that's the case," Lucien replied, "you should probably tell her yourself."
"...Hm?"
"I already informed Father of your location," He muttered. "The guards should be here any moment."
Stephen's eyes snapped wide.
He set a mental countdown instantly, he needed to end the dance and finish the negotiations immediately. If Tello hadn't already messed them up.
"I wonder why you'd do that," Stephen said. "Brownie points?"
Lucien chuckled, but there was no warmth in it. "Father once considered you over me for the next King of Eldoria. I'm just further proving he was wrong."
So that's why he never liked me!
The piano dipped into its final movement. The end of the song neared, and so did the end of this whole charade. Five minutes. He could still turn it around. Convince the investors. Then vanish without a trace.
Five minutes.
"You're a terrible older brother, by the way," Stephen said, just before spinning away and catching Lyna's hands as they passed. They drifted toward the edge of the ballroom, circling once more.
Five minutes. In five minutes he could—
"Participants of the royal dance!" a voice thundered over the music.
Everything stopped.
The ballroom froze as dozens of eyes turned to the voice. By the side tables, near the drapes, stood several guards in full armor.
And at their center. Sir Cruige. Stephen's old instructor.
"We are looking for an individual we believe to be within this room!" Cruige barked, stepping forward.
Stephen turned his back to them, facing Lyna.
"With blonde hair and stark blue eyes. He is the third prince of the western front."
Then came the final nail:
"Stephen Eldoria!"
Stephen exhaled sharply, closing his eyes.
"Well," he muttered to himself, "this is doomed."